Joseph s



J. S. FOSTER. REVOLVING CYLINDER ENGINE.

lllllllllllh UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH S. FOSTER, OF VIRGINIA, NEVADA TERRITORY.

IMPROVEMENT IN REVOLVING-CYLINDER ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Palent No.5 1,] 66, dated November 28, 1865.

To an rdhom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, J OSEPH, S. Fos'rnn, of Virginia, in the county of Storey, Nevada Territory, have invented a new and Improved Revolving-Cylinder Engine and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptiorithereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure l-represen ts a transverse vertical central section of this invention, the line a: m, Fig. 2, indicating the plane ofsection. Fig. 2 is a sectional rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same, taken in the' plane indicated by theline y y, Fig, 2

Similar letters of reference indicate corre spondin g parts.

This inv'ention relates to an improvement in that class of steam-enginesin which one or more'cylinders are attached to a revolving disk,

so that said cylinder or cylinders are carried round the crank-shaft, from which the motion is to be transmitted to the workingmachines.

In this new-engine'tw'o cylinders are rigidly attached to the'revolving disk, one opposite theother in radial directions. Both cylinders have a common piston-rod, which is provided with a hole or box to form a bearing for the crank-pin of the crank-shaft, to which motion is to be imparted. Steam is admitted to the cylinders and changed at the proper intervals by a stationary disk-valve, which works in a flanged seat on the backof the revolving disk, and the two parts of which connect by suitable pipes with the opposite ends of the two cylinders, so that both cylinders simultaneously take steam and exhaust at opposite ends, and both pistons are exposed to the continuous action of the steam.

' 'A represents a disk, which revolves on the end of the fixed shaft B, which has its rigid bearing in the standard (3; or, if desired, the disk may be firmly keyed to the shaft, and the latter made to revolve in suitable journal-boxes in one or more standards, 0.

Secured to the front side or face of the disk, and on opposite side of its center, are two steam-cylinders, D I), in radial directions, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and these cyl-- inders are provided with pistons E E, attached to the common piston-rod F. This piston-rod is perforated at the middle of its length to receive the eccentric, wrist-pin a of the crank b, which is rigidly connected to the end of the shaft G. A pulley or band-wheel, H, mounted on this shaft serves to transmit the motion imparted to the same by the action of the piston rod to the working machines.

The cylinders D D are supplied with steam through pipes or channels 0 c,applied to or ar ranged on the rear surface of the disk A, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 ofthedrawings. The pipe 0 communicates with the outer end of the cylinder D and with the inner end of the cylinder D, and the pipe 0 communicates with the outer end of the cylinder D and with the inner end of the cylinder D, and said pipes are alternately brought in communication with the steam-port d and cxhaust-port d in the stationary disk-valve I. This disk-valve is rigidly attached to thestahdard G, and it works in a flanged seat, J, which is formed by a circular flange rising from the rear surface of the diskA.

Two channels, 6 e, which lead from the pipes c 0 through. the flange J, and which pass the steam and exhaust ports d at as the disk Arevolves, at certain intervals form the communication between the pipes'c c and ports d d. In Fig. 2 of the drawings the-channel e has arrived opposite the steam-port d,the pistons E E having arrived at the lowest point of their stroke, and the channel 0 is opposite the ex-' ha'ust-port d.

Steam is admitted through the pipe 0 to the outer end of the cylinder .D and to the inner end of the cylinder D, and at the same time the outer end of the cylinder D and the inner end of the cylinder D are brought into communication with the exhaust-port. As the disk revolves in the direction of the arrow marked on it in Fig. 2, the channels 6 8 pass the ports 01 d, and, in order to prevent said ports being closed, semicircular grooves ff are cutin the circumference of the valve I. The cylinders continue to take steam through the pipe 0 as long as the channel e is opposite the groove f and they continue to exhaust through the pipe 0 aslong as the channel 0 is opposite the groove f. The groove f extends towithin a short distance from the port (I, and the groove f, on the'opposite side of the disk-valve, to within a short distance of the port d, so thatthe cylinders continue to take steam and to exhaust for the entire stroke of their pistons, or nearly so. When the disk A has completed one-half a revolution, the channel a is opposite the port d and the channel 0 opposite the channel d, and the motion of the pistons in the cylinders is reversed.

The bearing of the eccentric wrist-pin a in the piston-rod must be so arranged that the 'same'stands opposite the center of the fixed shaft B on which the disk A revolves whenever the pistons arrive at half-stroke, and when the pistons have completed their stroke their position in relationto the crank b'and fixed shaft B is that shown in Fig. 1;

It will be easily seen that theoenter of the shaft G must be placedata (listance t'rom that of the fixed shaft B equal to the throw of'thc crank I), and by the double motion-of the pistons-via, the reciprocating motion in the cylinders and the circular motion with the disk Atl1e dead-points are completely avoided, and the en ginebegins to move at whatever posit1on it may be started, provided there is steam enough to overcome the'rcsistance;

By changing the ports the motion of the disk A and of the whole engine is reversed. This object can be effected in'a simple way by ha vin g two openings from the steam-pipe, one leading to each port, and fittedwith a sliding valve, so that when one'opening'is open the' other is closed, and the same with the exhaustpipe.

When it is not desired to make the engine reversible, the groove f, emanating from the steam-port d in the edge of the valve I, may be shortened, and thereby the steam cut off at any olutions of the crank; \Vhen, however, the steam is shut off and the crank-pin a is placed in the line of center with the fiy-wheel, the flywheel maybe turned by hand in either direction without producing any effect upon the crank.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. The fly-wheel A,with two rigidly-attached cylinders, D I), placed opposite each other in a radial direction, having a common pistonrod, F, attached-atthe center to a crank-pin, a,

I in such a manner that every revolution of the fly-wheel caused by the action of steam in the cylinders produces two revolutions ot'the eran k, substantially in the manner as herein set forth.

2. The stationary disk-yalve I, with ports (I d" and vgrooves ff, in combination with the revolving fly-whcel A carrying the cylinders D and pipes or channels 0 a, in the manner and for the purpose substantially as herein do scribed.

JOSEPH S. FOSTER. Witnesses p H.- P.-O0HN,-

JOHN D. GRAM. 

